Moonlight
by MichelleKelly
Summary: Prompts: humor, laundry. When Zack sneaks out to wash his clothes, it's not Aerith that surprises him.


Moonlight

Prompts: Laundry, Humor/Comedy

: Zach Fair

"Zack, you're starting to stink," Aerith commented as he worked on her flower cart. He laughed it off.

"I should've brought a spare change of clothes with me, but I didn't. Know anywhere I can do some laundry?" he asked. She giggled.

"We use the waterfall behind the house," she remarked. Zack nodded.

"That's right! Since I don't have anything else to wear I'll have to do it after dark," he announced. She giggled. "You gotta promise not to spy on me though!" he warned. She smiled back at him.

"Ok, fine. I promise I won't peep," she said. He smiled and took her arm.

"Good! I'm not ready for you to see my bodacious bod," he told her, puffing up his chest. She let out an amused sigh.

"I'm content with a clothed you, for now," she teased back with a giggle.

Elmyra had just gone to bed when Zack snuck out. At the waterfall he stripped down and threw his clothes in the water before he jumped in and washed himself along with the clothes. The moon was bright, nearly full and cast a low blue light onto the water, making it shimmer. Zach scrubbed his clothes before he tossed them onto a rock and got out of the small pond. Wringing his shirt out into the water he heard rustling and quickly ducked behind the rock, his hand on his sword.

"Who's there? Aerith is that you? You PROMISED you wouldn't spy on me," he calmly called. There was a familiar giggle and a shadow took shape.

"You better not be waiting out here for my daughter boy," it warned. Zack lowered his sword and sighed in relief.

"Elmyra, what are you doing here?" he asked, she stepped into the moonlight wearing an amused expression.

"Asking you the same thing. I don't like sneaking around in my house," she stated with irritation.

"I'm only doing laundry, I swear! Aerith should be fast asleep," he told her. She chuckled, noticing the clothing on the rock and the pale white rear sticking out from behind the rock. She began to remove her apron, while he tried to conceal himself. She tossed over the white apron.

"Here Soldier boy, put that on and grab your clothes, we'll dry them in the house in front of the fire. Moonlight doesn't dry clothes boy," she told him. He blushed and tied on the apron. Wringing out the rest of his clothes, he sheepishly followed her back to the house. Breakfast was going to be awkward. He was fairly certain that she had seen his naked backside and was mildly embarrassed that she caught him in the nude, even though it was just laundry. Once in the house Zach shut the door behind him.

"Now, go to bed, I'll bring your clothes up once they are dry. You can wear the apron until then," she instructed. He nodded with relief and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Uhm, Thank you Elmyra, for helping with my laundry," he remarked. She smiled and begun to hang his clothes on a small line near the mantle.

"Anytime. Next time just tell me you don't have something to wear. I have robes for guests," she tittered as she straightened the wet clothes. He gave her a weary smile and quietly inched up the stairwell before he flopped down on the small bed in the guest room.

When Zack awoke the next morning and found his uniform clean and folded on the small table near the door. Eagerly he slipped into the fresh clothes and headed downstairs. Aerith was sitting at the table with a plate full of eggs.

"Good Morning!" he greeted. Aerith smiled up at him. Elmyra leaned against the counter with a cup of tea.

"Good you're up. Now you can tell my daughter why you were sneaking out and getting naked in my yard," she bluntly stated. Aerith giggled.

"Is the answer laundry? Mom I told him to wash his clothes," she answered. Zack was stuck with an embarrassed grin.

"At night when there's no sun to dry?" Elmyra questioned "And late at night at that,"

"I'll admit, I didn't think it all through, I just wanted to be clean!" Zack confessed.

"Your butt is so pale that when it reflected the moonlight I almost went blind," Elmyra teased walking out of the room. Aerith continued giggling

"My nudity is so glorious it's blinding," Zack defended. Even Elmyra laughed. "That's why I told you not to peek," Aerith had gone past giggling and was now gasping for air, her cheeks pink, eyes watering. "And even the discussion of it has you speechless," Zack furthered with pride, watching as Aerith tried to regain her composure. A few minutes passed and Aerith finally spoke up.

"So my mother saw you naked before I had a chance to?" she questioned.

"Aerith you better not ever see him naked! If you love me you'll wait until I'm dead," Elmyra remarked. Zack couldn't tell if she was teasing or not.

"Can we stop talking about my nudity?" he pleaded. The girls giggled, and Aerith sighed.

"I suppose, for now," she obliged. Zack smiled and swore to himself that next time he was going to bring a spare change of clothes.

AN/ another prompted story. Hope you enjoy, comedy isn't exactly my forte but I wanted to try. So here's this. Took me a few months but I finally finished it! Yay for getting caught up on old prompts! I'm just glad I finally finished something that wasn't Reluctant Surrender.


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